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Margaret's Pages
The Papua New Guinea series

In August 1970 I ventured up to Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea to see if I could get work to save for more overseas travel, & to live in a different culture.
I lived for my first 12 months in the YWCA Hostel there, mixing with ladies/girls from PNG and many other countries. I found work as a Secretary, within days of my arrival and most weekends visited local areas of interest or flew (in small planes) to other areas of this unique country.

Bird of Paradise, national emblem

Featured on these pages are some pictures and detail on what became my "home" for 8 years. In fact my 2 older children were born in the local Port Moresby Hospital, and we (as a family) experienced the time when the former Territory of Papua New Guinea (as part of Australia), got its self-government and later claimed its Independence as a country in its own right, with its own constitution.

On left is a view of Port Moresby from a nearby hill, and on righ is the main street, with local policeman directing traffic.
Taken 1971.

far left - Koki Market Place - bustling on the weekend ..... August 1970.

Village children playing with lakatois (boats) with boat village in background. August 1970

Village on hillside, just down from the YWCA Hostel, between Boroko and Port Moresby - August 1970

On 20 December 1970, a Hostel friend and I took a small plane over to the Trobriand Islands which are north east of the mainland of Papua New Guinea. We had a wonderful weekend there. Scenes above are at the Airport and also a small village house.
Left are 2 Trobriand Island Dancers. They put on a show for weekend tourists.

In January 1971, one of the hostel girls invited a group of us, to visit her home village for a wedding ceremony. On the left is part of the village on stilts over the sea, and on the right is a money pole, collecting money for a dowry for the bridal couple.

BOMANA Cemetery, outsidie Port Moresby is a beautifully laid out cemetery with the war dead, surrounded by wonderful gardens. We attended the Dawn Services here on ANZAC Day each year.

Independence Day 16 September 1975 - flag raising ceremonies were held throughout the nation. The ceremony in Port Moresby was conducted at Independence Hill overlooking the main city centre. International guests in national dress and western dress assembled for this occasion.
(Left) the Flag Party and guards slow march up Independence Hill and hoist the new nation's flag above the plague commemorating the ceremony.

A proud wood-carver displays his finest masks, especially made for Independence Celebrations.
This chap is from ast Sepik. All provinces had their own ceremonies, with dancers, masks,
parades, flag-flying etc.

(above) waves of finely dressed tribesman, drummed, chanted and marched to the grounds for the Enga Cultural Show held high in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.

(left) these tribesman at the Enga Cultural Show, demonstrate their ability to make fire by pulling strands of bamboo under their feet.

In September 1976 we had a weekend away in the Highlands. Picture on right is view from one of the highland roads, and a picture of a local walking his pig.

in tribal life, a pig is very important.
This mother has her baby slung on her back in billum but the pig has pride of place in her arms.
Women often used to breastfeed pigs.

On the right here, is a mountain village, with cleared area for their food crops. The huts are barely visible in cleared area on the ridge left middle of photo.

Some of these remote villages have never seen whitemen.

article in Post-Courier newspaper on Tuesday, August 31, 1976.
My husband signing a contract worth over 7 million Kina for construction to begin on the Hiritano Highway. This was for 12 miles of road between Veimouri River and Aroa River. The 2nd stage was for new construction and reconstruction between Aroa River and Bereina.
The chap on the right in photo is Sir John Guise, the then Governor-General of Papua New Guinea.

see Work Pages

Local worker and my (then) 3 year old son, checking out a small animal. at Hiritano
(my son died tragically in a car smash on 20 Dec. 2001 near Emerald, Queensland. aged 27)

For more information on Papua New Guinea, look at my links/pages showing various subjects

BUTTERFLIES, & FLOWERS

MAP of Papua New Guinea

WORK details
of Curtain Bros.

INDUSTRIES , mostly agricultural.

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updated 10 May 2009